Testicular Cancer

Planned Parenthood offers a brief overview of testicular cancer that discusses its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

The Testicular Cancer Resource Center (TCRC) was started by two men who survived testicular cancer. Use glossary for testicular cancer and related terms that may be helpful to consult when reading more technical information.

American Cancer Society (ACS) has an article describing the different types of testicular cancer. Read how most testicular cancer develops in the germ cells (sperm-producing cells) and results in the two main types of testicular cancer: seminomas and nonseminomas.

Mayo Clinic has a short list of testicular cancer symptoms, along with diagrams of the male reproductive system and testicular lumps. Don’t miss an endocrinologist’s explanation of the causes of testicle pain.

American Cancer Society discusses testicular cancer causes, which are largely unknown, though some risk factors have been found.

American Academy of Family Physicians profiles who is more likely to get testicular cancer. Learn testicular cancer signs, and how to perform a self-exam.

American Cancer Society describes the methods used to diagnose testicular cancer, including ultrasound, surgery and blood tests. Once testicular cancer is diagnosed, one could expect to have other tests, such as a chest X-ray and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), to learn if the cancer has spread to other organs.

National Cancer Institute has a question-and-answer page on tumor markers, or substances that can show up in blood, urine or tissue. Learn what tumor markers are, how they’re measured and how they’re used in cancer diagnosis.

American Cancer Society outlines the treatment options available depending on testicular cancer’s stage. Don’t miss the general guide describing treatment options such as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, oral chemotherapy and off-label drug use.

American Cancer Society explains the various side effects of cancer treatments.

Fertile Hope is a nonprofit organization that assists cancer survivors with reproductive support. Use the site’s “Risk Calculator” to determine the risks associated with the various testicular cancer treatments. Also learn about sperm banking and find out if you qualify for the organization’s “Sharing Hope Program for Men,” a program that offers discounted sperm banking services to eligible cancer patients.

ClinicalTrials.gov , a clearinghouse operated by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, provides a list of research clinical trials currently underway to test experimental treatments for testicular cancer. To learn more about clinical trials, speak to your doctor, and read the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's guide.

American Urological Association hosts an online directory of urologists. Use the search field to find a member physician by zip code.

Cancer.Net has a database of oncologists. Search for an oncologist by city, state and specialty.

The Testicular Cancer Resource Center has a number of articles on all sorts of issues, including testicular implants, testosterone checks and helpful hints on the cancer experience from those who have been there.

Georgetown University Health Policy Institute has free state-by-state guides for consumers with information on how to get and keep health insurance. Simply click on your state to download the PDF guide. With a few exceptions, most of the guides have been recently updated.

Corporate Angel Network is a nonprofit organization that helps coordinate free travel on corporate jets for cancer patients. Member companies give the spare seats on their planes to people with cancer who need to get to another city for medical treatment.

Lance Armstrong Foundation has articles about different aspects of life with cancer, such as this one called “Preparing for Not Working.” Get advice to help determine whether you can stop working, retire or change your work schedule during and after cancer treatment. 

American Cancer Society's “In My Community” tool allows you to search for local events, volunteer opportunities, resources and news headlines. Search by zip code or city and state.

CancerCare is a nonprofit organization for patients and loved ones that offers free counseling online or over the phone. For those who live in and around New York City, CancerCare has in-person counseling and support groups. Call to find support groups outside the New York area.

American Cancer Society has a variety of message boards. Though there isn’t one dedicated to testicular cancer, there are several on general issues, such as coping with diagnosis, deciding on treatment, financial issues and managing side effects of treatment. Complete a free registration with the site to post messages.

The Testicular Cancer Resource Center has separate e-mail listservs for patients and their caregivers. Subscribe to one of the e-mail listservs to receive messages from members in your inbox.

Vinny’s HAD Cancer is a blog about a man and his family after testicular cancer. The blog warns there may be some “colorful language.”

Nigel’s Blog…Cancer and all that..! is about a U.K. man who had testicular cancer and is dealing with subsequent relapses.

Topix is a news aggregator site that collects headlines from around the Web. Visit the page dedicated to testicular cancer news for regularly updated headlines.

MedlinePlus has a thorough overview of testicular cancer, along with links to testicular cancer news, research on testicular cancer, journal articles and more.

American Cancer Society describes what researchers are studying in testicular cancer. Read how some studies, according to ACS, have focused on trying to identify which patients have the best outlook and could therefore avoid surgery.

PubMed Central, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, is a repository of biomedical and life sciences journal articles. Search for articles by topic, journal title or author using the search tool at the top of the page. Once you’ve searched a topic, use a tab under the display options to read articles that are free to access.